Doc not impressed with Clippers team-only meeting

[mr. dee]

http://www.runthetriangle.com/clippers-have-team-meeting-but-doc-rivers-isnt-impressed/

The Clippers held a players-only meeting after suffering a 121-104 defeat to the Golden State Warriors. Clippers guard Jamal Crawford said in practice today that the meeting of the minds was beneficial.

“It helped guys clear the air,” said Crawford. “I think the main point was just to get on the same page, everybody needs to be playing on the same page. The important thing is we understand that you have to go through the process.”

But Head Coach Doc Rivers doesn’t believe in such group sessions.

“I’m not fan of team meetings,” admitted Rivers. “When I hear about some team having a team meeting I’m like I want to play those guys.”

Rest Down The Stretch

When asked if he would mirror San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich’s style of resting his star players during certain parts of the season, Doc Rivers said he’d been there and done that.

“If you remember we did that in Boston in 2012,” recalled Rivers. “I used the last month of the season to have a second training-camp. We had two and a half hour practices, and we sacrificed a lot games down the stretch because of it.”

The Celtics had home-court advantage on the line in the final game of the season against the Atlanta Hawks who they were to face in the first-round. Rivers rested his starters and ceded home-court to the Hawks. The move proved to be brilliant in the end with the rested aging Celtics winning the series 4-2.

“We played Atlanta the last game of the season and could have had home-court advantage, but we rested our starters and said just let them have it,” added Rivers. It was a gamble but it paid off in the end. I obviously won’t be able to do that with this team.”

[mgent]

I guess he wants to play us then.

I can see where he's coming from.  Crawford is revealing weaknesses within the team by saying they had air which required cleaning.  It shows that their mindsets are in the wrong place, and they're not just going out and playing.  They should have faith in their system, and anything they have to work on should be taken care of in practice.

I think if the captain wants to take the team out to dinner for bonding like Rondo did, that's cool.  But it shouldn't be a "meeting" to hide from their coach and talk shop in private because everybody needs to get on the page.  That's just a sign of bad chemistry, and according to Doc, puts a target on your back.

[Who]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

[Fafnir]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

Yup. I wonder if the up and down CP3/Blake relationship is getting testy again.

[pearljammer10]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

Yup. I wonder if the up and down CP3/Blake relationship is getting testy again.

Didn't the Celtics have a team meeting the first week of the season after game one? (Team dinner, team meeting, call it what you want). I would assume this happens on a very frequent basis.

[sed522002]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

Yup. I wonder if the up and down CP3/Blake relationship is getting testy again.

Didn't the Celtics have a team meeting the first week of the season after game one? (Team dinner, team meeting, call it what you want). I would assume this happens on a very frequent basis.

I guess it depends on if the team dinner/meeting is for bonding or to strictly air grievances.

[Snakehead]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

Yup. I wonder if the up and down CP3/Blake relationship is getting testy again.

Didn't the Celtics have a team meeting the first week of the season after game one? (Team dinner, team meeting, call it what you want). I would assume this happens on a very frequent basis.

I guess it depends on if the team dinner/meeting is for bonding or to strictly air grievances.

Yeah ours was a "lets hang out" meeting.  This seems to be a "lets hash this out" type meeting which you don't want to see this early.

I don't get it either.

[footey]

Elephant in the room, people:  We have the Clips' number 1 pick.  Here's hoping to more team meetings.  Can only be good for the value of that pick.  Keep losing, Clippers.

[pearljammer10]

Strange to see a team meeting so early in season. I mean, what has been? A week? 10 days? Since the season started. And things are so bad you need a team meeting? Not a good sign.

Especially for a team with so many returning players from last year's team. Including team's main core (CP3, B.Griffin, D.Jordan, J.Crawford) which is entering it's 3rd season together.

Lot of things wrong with this picture.

Yup. I wonder if the up and down CP3/Blake relationship is getting testy again.

Didn't the Celtics have a team meeting the first week of the season after game one? (Team dinner, team meeting, call it what you want). I would assume this happens on a very frequent basis.

I guess it depends on if the team dinner/meeting is for bonding or to strictly air grievances.

Yeah ours was a "lets hang out" meeting.  This seems to be a "lets hash this out" type meeting which you don't want to see this early.

I don't get it either.

Regardless this is all speculation on both accounts as no one really knows what the "meetings" or "hang outs" were for other than the players themselves.